THE brutal murder of a defenceless elderly priest in front of his congregation in a church in northern France is a deliberate attempt aimed at provoking a religious war, experts have warned.

Father Jacques Hamel, 85, was forced to kneel before his horrified congregation by two Islamic State (ISIS) jihadis who slit his throat.

The attackers, who had taken several people inside the church hostage during the attack this morning, were shot dead by French police when they tried to escape.

Deliberately choosing to attack a small village, rather than a large town or city, is part of the “psychological warfare” being waged by terrorists, according to Professor Bruno Drweski from the National Institute of Languages and Eastern Civilizations.

They are aiming to “create a gap between Christians and Muslims - especially between the French Catholic Church and Muslim organizations,” he added.

Normandy Church Terror

Wed, July 27, 2016

A PRIEST had his throat slit and several others were taken hostage after armed men stormed a church in northern France during morning mass today, with authorities describing it as an Islamist attack.

Targeting a church is “hugely symbolic” and an attempt to ignite religious conflict, said Dr Simon Mabon, lecturer in international relations at Lancaster University.

He said: “If indeed it is ISIS affiliates or sympathisers, this is clearly a symbolic point that says: ‘No matter where you are in France, you are not safe. And we will strike to try and cultivate this war between Islam and the West.”

AFP/Getty

French police in Saint Etienne du Rouvray earlier today

Muslims, Jewish people, Christians, people of faith, people of no faith - we all stand together in unity against this abhorrent attack

Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation

A series of terror attacks across Europe in recent weeks highlights the need to defeat the “narrative of ISIS which is the clash of civilization between Islam and the rest of society,” said Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation.

He added: “Actually, Muslims, Jewish people, Christians, people of faith, people of no faith - we all stand together in unity against this abhorrent attack against a place of worship.”

AFP/Getty

A mass at Notre Dame cathedral, Paris, in memory of Father Hamel

The latest attack in France demonstrates the importance of integration of people who come to Britain, argued David Coburn, UKIP Member of the European Parliament for Scotland.

He said: “This is one of the reasons people wanted to Brexit, we want to get a control of our own borders to make sure this sort of nonsense doesn’t spread any further. We must encourage people to integrate. I think there is too much separation.”